Matt felt the burn of the alcohol searing down his throat as he tipped back his glass and drained the last drop. He winced slightly, setting the empty glass on the coffee table with a dull clink.
Across the room, his sister, Alice, sat on the couch, scrolling through her phone with an air of indifference. Her lack of reaction stung, especially after he had just poured his heart out, recounting the humiliating events at Emily’s office.
His friend Marcus wasn’t any better. Seated in the recliner, Marcus was glued to the flat-screen TV, casually watching an action movie as though Matt’s life hadn’t just unraveled.
Matt clenched his jaw, staring at the two people he thought would rally behind him. Instead, their apathy was a silent verdict: they’d warned him. Warned him to leave Emily
